


Tales from Domino Bay

by NaughtyOrgel (PreciousOrgel)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Merman Atem, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:10:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10030913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PreciousOrgel/pseuds/NaughtyOrgel
Summary: Yugi is trying to catch a fish for his Grandpa's birthday when he becomes distracted by a flirtatious swimmer with a captivating voice.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I wrote for a friend after she responded favorably to a doodle I did of Mer!Atem flirting with Yugi. I didn't mean for it to get this long, though. Oops?
> 
> Thanks to ashethehedgehog for editing!

Yugi shifted uncomfortably under the relentless sun, his loose-fitting tank top sticking to his back with sweat. His shoulders and cheeks were stinging and red, and he wished he’d thought to wear a hat. He fanned himself in a futile effort to cool down, but it provided little relief. He turned to stare at the fishing rod in his hands, silently pleading with it to catch  _something_ , so that he could at least say his misery had been worth it. The rod and its line remained as motionless as ever.

As Yugi sat on the hard wooden seat of the cheap boat, he wondered how anybody in their right mind could enjoy fishing. He had been out here since early morning: it was now mid afternoon and he’d caught nothing. He was utterly bored, the scenery offering nothing but the vast expanse of sea and the distant shore of Domino bay. He’d known that fishing was a slow process, but he underestimated just how long it might take. The book he’d brought to entertain himself in the meantime sat behind him, having already been finished hours ago. He wished he’d been able to bring his deck, but the risk of getting them wet had been too great. He stared longingly at the docks, wishing he could just call it quits and get himself a soothing iced tea.

The boat shifted suddenly as if a wave had rocked it, though the sea was as smooth as glass. Yugi leaned over the edge of the old boat, looking for anything that might have caused it. The moment he did so, he felt the rod in his hands dip for a brief moment. His eyes zeroed in on it, staring at it intensely and hoping with all his heart he hadn’t imagined it. _Just one_ , he prayed silently, _just one fish and I can go home without calling the entire day a waste._

The rod dipped again, and Yugi reeled as fast as the tiny lever would allow. When the hook resurfaced from the water with nothing to show, Yugi’s heart sunk. The bait was gone, and Yugi was forced to wonder just how long he’d been fishing with an empty hook. Maybe a fish just now had taken it while avoiding the sharp metal, but maybe it had been dislodged by the underwater current ages ago. Yugi was greatly discouraged either way, and sighed deeply as he bent over to open his tackle box.

He straightened sharply when he heard a splash in close proximity to his boat. His eyes quickly located the origin of the noise, but he was half-sure he must have been hallucinating from heat and disappointment; because the source of the splash appeared to be a dark skinned man ever-so-casually resting his arms on the edge of the boat.

Yugi blinked and squinted, putting a hand up to shield his eyes from the glare. He looked young, about Yugi’s own age. The sun was making the man’s soaked skin gleam, making for a rather unearthly effect. The man was staring directly at him with narrow crimson eyes, and Yugi found himself staring back. His features were sharp, and the heavy water did nothing to prevent his wild hair from sticking up at odd angles. The longer he held the gaze, the more Yugi had to accept that this was not a hallucination. It also occurred to him that he should probably acknowledge the stranger before their staring match got awkward. Before he could, however, the other spoke first.

“Hello,” he said in a smooth voice that Yugi immediately liked. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

“Um, that’s alright,” replied Yugi nervously. “I’m just – I’m really surprised to see you. What are you doing this far out?”

“Just swimming.” The man confirmed with a smile. He leaned closer and rested his chin over his folded arms, blinking lazily with dark lashes. “And what are you up to on such a warm day?”

Yugi was sure that was fairly obvious, but he supposed the guy was just making conversation. “Fishing. Well, I say that, but I haven’t caught any fish, so…” Yugi trailed off, not sure how to continue the conversation.

“You caught me.”

Yugi blinked at the man in confusion, wondering if he’d misheard. It had sounded like a cheesy pick-up line, the way he’d said that. There was a knowing smile on his lips, and he hadn’t yet broken eye contact. “I’m sorry?” he replied.

“I was a bit careless and got your hook caught on my…my bathing suit.” The man explained.

“Oh my god, are you hurt?” Yugi discarded his fishing rod to the floor of the boat and swung his leg over the seat so that he was facing the man properly.

He waved his hand dismissively. “No, no. It untangled quite easily.”

“Oh, good.” Breathed Yugi. “I’m sorry about that. I’m glad it didn’t scratch you or anything.” 

A small pause followed as a thought occurred to Yugi. He wasn't sure how deep hooks generally fell, but the hook he was using should have sunk at least a small ways below the surface. “You must have been swimming pretty deep to catch on my hook.”

The man didn’t answer right away, and instead considered him with his strange red eyes. Yugi had never seen eyes with such a hue, and he wondered where the man was from. It made for an intense gaze, and he felt himself beginning to blush under it. Yugi had to resist the urge to turn away.

When the stranger finally answered, his voice had become strangely louder. “Indeed I was, but let’s not dwell on that. Tell me your name, won’t you?”

 _Louder_ was perhaps not the right word. The stranger wasn’t shouting. If anything, his voice had become softer. It was just that his words seemed to drown out any other noise from Yugi’s ears. The waves had gone silent, and the wind was no longer whipping by his ears. “Yugi,” he replied instantly. “Yugi Motou.”

“Wonderful to meet you, Yugi. I am Atem.” The newly identified stranger tilted his head to the side, causing a golden lock of hair to fall across his nose.  “No luck with the fishing, then?” he continued sympathetically. “What were you hoping to catch?”

“Uh…a big one?” answered Yugi, knowing how stupid it likely sounded.

Atem laughed softly, and Yugi wouldn’t mind sounding stupid if it got him such a nice sound. “For eating, I presume?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. It’s my grandpa’s birthday next weekend and he really likes seafood, so I was hoping to catch him a fish and make something tasty with it.” Yugi explained. The old man was difficult to buy a gift for. He’d had a lifetime to accumulate any materialistic belongings he could want, and Yugi hadn’t been able to think of a single thing to get him.

Atem smiled at him warmly. “That’s a lovely idea. Our elders appreciate a personal touch to their gifts, in my experience.”

The praise lifted Yugi’s spirits. He’d been proud of the idea, and to hear someone else agree made him happy. “Thank you! I hope I’m able to catch something edible, at least.”

“If I may make a suggestion, I’d recommend the red sea bream.” said Atem.  “It’s the tastiest fish you can catch around here.”

Yugi laughed. “Sure, but I’m having trouble catching anything, never mind what kind it is.”

"It's all about knowing where the fish are and how they act," explained Atem. "A hot day like this is no good for catching sea bream. They don't like the heat and tend to hide in areas where it's cool, normally closer to the coast."

Yugi whistled. He’d had no idea fishing had so much strategy involved. "You sure know a lot. Do you fish often?"

Atem smiled widely, showing a set of oddly sharp teeth. "Fish makes up most of my diet, and I catch each one personally." His eyes glinted with something that looked like mirth, though Yugi didn’t know what he found particularly amusing.

Yugi didn't know what to make of this stranger. He was friendly enough, but spoke strangely and his answers were odd. He clearly didn't live an ordinary lifestyle; something of which he seemed very proud. He reminded Yugi of his friend Mako Tsunami, whom had kindly lent him this very boat. But even he didn't live his whole life in the ocean, or catch everything he ate.

There was also the way Atem was looking at him - his eyes hadn’t left Yugi’s for a second. He knew that in some cultures it was considered polite to maintain eye contact, but this seemed like something else: something not entirely platonic. Yugi felt his neck grow warm at this thought. He’d never been hit on before. Was he just imagining things?

He decided to test his theory. “You’ve gotta be tired from swimming this far out. Do you want to come aboard?” If Atem was flirting with him, he’d surely want to get closer to him, right?

But an unsure look flashed by Atem’s eyes. “Thank you, but no. My skin would dry out terribly.”

This answer didn’t make sense to Yugi, as Atem would surely need to come out of the water eventually anyway. Was it an excuse? Had he been wrong about Atem’s intentions? Yugi’s brow knitted together in what he tried not to acknowledge as disappointment.

Misinterpreting his confusion, Atem added, “You’re very kind to worry, but I’m an extremely strong swimmer. I’ve lived just about my whole life in the water."

There it was again - that mischievous glint in Atem's eye, as if he was telling some private joke that Yugi didn't understand. It made him feel as if he were being made fun of, and he didn't like it; especially not from somebody so attractive. It just reminded him of all the bullies he'd suffered in school, protected by their good looks and packs of groupies.

Atem leaned closer then, drawing Yugi’s attention to the necklace around his slender neck. It looked hand-made, consisting of a mix of colourful, unbroken shells. Dipping low at the center were three serrated shark teeth. As Atem leaned, the necklace slowly detached itself from his wet chest to dangle in the space between them. "In fact, why don't you join me?"

Atem's voice snapped Yugi's attention back upward. Perhaps he wasn't imagining things after all? The offer was immediately tempting, especially coming from such a lovely voice. Atem’s company had helped to distract himself from the ghastly heat, but the fact remained that Yugi was dreadfully uncomfortable. He shifted closer to the edge of the boat, barely noticing that he was even doing so.

"You've been completely ravished by the sun, poor thing." Atem said in a tone that filled Yugi's ears, "Let me cool you off."

Yugi started when he felt cool hands wrap around his own dry ones. He hadn’t even seen Atem move them: he was too busy admiring Atem’s glittering eyes. He let himself be pulled forward, shifting his knees forward until he was kneeling against the wood. Atem slowly pulled away from the boat, bringing Yugi’s hands with him. His hands were followed by his arms and shoulders, until his chest was digging painfully against the edge of the boat. Yugi barely registered it. Atem looked so inviting, and the water looked so cool and refreshing. Yugi wanted so desperately to be free of the heat. He mildly wondered why Atem was bothering to drag him - he would have said yes anyway. He couldn't think of a single reason why he might have refused.

Except, there was a rather large part of his mind that was pressing warning buttons with some amount of urgency. _This is bad_ , it said, _something's wrong_. There were too many things that didn't add up here, and suddenly Yugi could think of several reasons why he might want to refuse.

"Um, no thanks," he said, pulling his hands free reluctantly.

Atem blinked at him owlishly. He clearly hadn’t been expecting a refusal. "No...what?"

"I won't swim," clarified Yugi, wincing as he massaged the skin that had been pressed into the boat’s edge. "I don't really want to row back in wet clothes."

Atem’s nonplussed expression morphed into a small frown. "That’s… your reason?"

Yugi laughed nervously. "I know that it might not make sense to someone who loves swimming as much as you do, but I hate being in wet clothes." This was only half the truth, of course. While his distaste for wet clothes was no lie, it alone wouldn't have been enough to stop Yugi from joining this enchanting stranger in the sparkling ocean. Yugi was never one to ignore his instincts, and his instincts told him there was something off about this scenario. Years of being picked on at school had given him a good sense for knowing when a situation was better avoided, and this was raising flags. "Besides, I think I might head home for the day."

"But… you haven't caught anything for your grandfather?" Atem’s voice quirked in confusion, his smooth confidence fading.

"His birthday isn't until this weekend, so I have a couple more days," replied Yugi. "You said sea bream hide around the coast, right?"

Atem's eyes were still wide with continued surprise. "Yes, that's right."

Yugi nodded. "I'll try there tomorrow." He busied himself with packing away his rod and bait, trying very hard not to notice the expression on Atem's face. Was he hurt that Yugi had refused? It was only common sense not to completely trust a stranger. Besides, Yugi didn't like the slightly predatory way Atem had been acting, or the consuming effect his presence had on Yugi’s focus.

He made the mistake of looking up at the swimmer. Atem’s demeanor had shifted. He was staring up at Yugi, his eyebrows tilted upwards in a somewhat childish display of disappointment. He looked nothing like a predator now. He looked unsure, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how. It was such a change from his previous attitude that Yugi was taken aback. Where had the smooth, flirty Atem gone? Perhaps Yugi had misjudged him. Maybe he’d just been excited to meet a new friend.

"Um, will I see you there?" The words were out of his mouth before he could properly think about them.

Atem’s lips dipped into a surprised smile. "Oh! If you wish." He drew himself back to the boat, but didn’t lift himself over the lip. “I’ll meet you over by that coast.” he said, nodding his head to the right.

Yugi turned to look, noting that the coast in question was quite a ways off from his current position. Though, if he were coming from the docks, it wouldn’t take him too long to get to it...

A loud splash brought his attention back to Atem. Only, Atem was no longer there. In his place was a patch of rippling water, and a damp handprint on the otherwise bone-dry wood of his boat. Unnerved, Yugi searched the area around the boat. No Atem. He tried calling next, but it yielded nothing but silence.

Yugi sat back in his seat, mentally exhausted. What on Earth had just happened? Even without counting the sudden departure, that had been without a doubt the strangest encounter of his life. He doubted the wisdom of seeing the stranger again, but it was too late now. He would follow through with it, if for no other reason than he needed that fish.

Now that he had nothing to distract him, the discomfort of the harsh sun returned to the forefront of Yugi’s mind. Able to bare it no longer, Yugi started rowing to the docks while trying to put aside any thoughts of the confusing incident. It didn’t work, and Atem stayed on Yugi’s mind for the duration of his trip back to the docks.

\---

Atem invaded Yugi’s thoughts for the rest of the day and through the night. How could Yugi think of anything else when a mysterious stranger appears, flirts, then vanishes? He still wasn’t sure if Atem _had_ been flirting. All he knew was that he could still feel Atem’s cool hands where he’d held onto his wrists, almost like they belonged there. Yugi heart fluttered at the thought.

Alright, it was perhaps time to admit that he was _maybe_ a little attracted to Atem. The man had been nothing short of stunning, with an incredibly well-toned body the colour of mahogany, making his piercing red eyes stand out all the more. His blond locks framed his sharp face perfectly, wisps of it trailing down his neck to rest on his shoulders. His strange attitude aside, he had been friendly, and Yugi definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.

Mako had agreed to lend him the boat and fishing gear for the rest of the week in exchange for a public duel during his show at the Domino aquarium. Yugi was always happy to duel, so it was an easy bargain. While Mako hadn’t acknowledged his sunburn with more than a knowing smirk, his grandpa had fussed over him like a mother hen. He was pestered with questions and advice about moisturizer. Yugi had lied, saying he’d gone to the beach with his friends, which he soon regretted as he was forced to make up false details for the better part of an hour.

\---

Yugi’s sunburn stung despite the cream he’d smothered on it the night before. The weather was cooler today with a regular southerly breeze, but it was still too warm for his liking. Yugi was prepared this time, at least. He'd brought the strongest sunscreen he could find, and was wearing a cotton t-shirt and a hat. He'd also caved into bringing his Duel Monsters cards, packing them inside two separate ziplocked bags. He hadn’t even been sure if he’d be brave enough to take them out for fear of the wind blowing them overboard, but Yugi had brought them anyway. If today was as unfruitful as yesterday, he’d need the entertainment.

He reached the coast Atem had mentioned before noon, staying far enough away that the tide wouldn't pull his boat into the sharp rocks lining it. Rowing was hard work, so he rested a short while before he cast his line and settled himself in for a long wait. The cliffs of the coast shielded him from the morning sun, and he soon felt quite peaceful. He contented himself with staring at the ripples created by his boat, only occasionally allowing himself to look around for any sign of Atem.

With nothing better to do, he dug into his bag for a distraction and brought out his MP3 player. Holding the fishing rod with his knees, he put the buds in his ears and pressed play. He began to hum along with the music while watching his motionless fishing line. He didn't sing often. It wasn’t so much that he thought he was bad, but he didn’t like the idea of forcing other people to listen to his amateurish singing. He'd had a classmate in high school that was infamous for doing just that  - he knew how mean it could be.

But he was alone now, so he could sing as much as he wanted. He started off quietly, but by the time the chorus hit his voice was bouncing off the rocks and nodding his head to the beat happily.

It was only after the song faded out that he heard the subtle splashes coming from behind him. He yelped when he saw Atem resting his elbows on the boat, chin on his arms.

“You're very good,” he said in place of a greeting.

Yugi flushed, and tried desperately not to think about how wrong he’d gotten the second verse. He hastily ripped the buds from his ears and stuffed them back into his bag. “Thanks.” He mumbled lamely, his heart thumping with embarrassment.

“Anyway, forgive me for eavesdropping. Caught anything yet?”

Yugi was glad for the change of subject. “No, but it's still early. I had something to ask you, actually."

Atem lifted his chin, interested. "Oh?"

"I asked my grandpa what his favourite fish to eat was last night.” Explained Yugi. It’d taken about an hour to casually shift the conversation from Yugi’s sunburn to his Grandpa’s favourite fish, but he’d managed it. “Do you know where I could catch an ‘amberjack’?"

Atem frowned and put a delicate knuckle to his lips. After some thought, he replied, "Yes, I know where some amberjack gather. I wouldn’t suggest trying, though - it wouldn’t be safe."

"Why not?" Yugi had researched the fish a little the previous night, and nothing he’d found said anything to indicate danger.

"They live within the territory of... a shark," replied Atem. "A real nasty customer." He stared at the waves to his right, seeming contemplating something. "He's an asshole." He finished.

The fear that had climbed up his throat with the word _shark_ dissipated, and Yugi laughed. "Well, I'll stay away then. I'll catch as many sea bream as I can here."

“A good idea.” Atem seemed much more casual today, with no trace of that intensity that Yugi had felt the day before; that was a good sign. He wasn’t leaning close to Yugi, nor was he staring at him. “May I keep you company while you do?"

Yugi felt his stomach flip a little. "Um, of course. I mean, I'd like that." Well, Yugi didn’t think he’d mind it if Atem stared at him a _little_.

"I find myself very curious about you." Atem said abruptly.

"Me?" Yugi asked incredulously, trying to hide his nerves. "The mysterious stranger from the sea is curious about _me_?"

"Yes," Atem said simply. "For instance, what do you...do?"

It was a vague question, but one Yugi had experience answering. "I'm studying to be a game designer. You know, board games and stuff." he replied. "I've always liked them, ever since I was a kid."

Here he paused, unsure of whether or not to brag about this next part. He normally didn’t, but to impress a handsome stranger, why not? "I'm really good at them too. Heh, I'm actually, um, the number one ranked Duel Monsters player in Japan."

Atem’s face was one of pure non-understanding. "Duel....Monsters."

Yugi was immediately embarrassed at himself. "Oh, you don't...?” Serves him right for trying to brag. It figures he'd be talking to probably the only person left in Domino that didn't know Duel Monsters. Even if one didn't play the game, it had gotten so popular that it was rare to find someone so in the dark about it. “It's a card game where you battle another player using strategy."

Atem’s eyes lit up. "A strategy game? That sounds fascinating. How do you play?”

“Uh, well, it's pretty hard to explain without...oh!” Yugi remembered the cards he'd brought and dug through his bag to get them. Carefully holding out a few examples, he showed them to Atem. “The numbers down the bottom represent how strong the monster is. The goal is basically to overpower the opponent’s monsters, and you can use a combination of other kinds of cards to power up your monsters.”

Atem listened attentively and studied each card while Yugi continued to explain the complicated game. Though he was looking at the cards with undeniable fascination, he never touched any to look closer, instead waiting for Yugi to swap them out with others. He was probably worried of getting the cards wet, which was a touching thought. Yugi quickly lost track of the time as he explained about trap and spell cards, and soon the day slipped into early afternoon.

Atem seemed more interested than Yugi could have hoped. Was he interested in the game, or just him? On more than one occasion, Yugi had caught Atem staring with a curious look, but he didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Atem occasionally asked questions (“So it's not just about having the strongest cards?” and “How do you know you'll draw the one you need?”) until Yugi wasn't sure he could teach him any more without playing a practice match.

He was about to suggest one when Atem paused in the middle of his own question. “What's this monster?” He nodded towards a card on the far right of Yugi's current hand.

“Oh… the _Dark Magician_?” Yugi grinned. “He's my ace monster. Do you like him?”

“I like him best out of the ones I've seen. The drawing is lovely, though all of these are drawn beautifully.”

Yugi lowered his hand. “So you've really never seen a Duel Monsters card before?”

Atem shook his head. “Is that a problem?”

“No, I'm just… really surprised,” replied Yugi. “It's kind of everywhere.”

“Is it? And you say you're the best player in all of the country?” Asked Atem before nodding thoughtfully. “You must be very quick-witted then - I suppose that explains it."

Yugi cocked his head. "Explains… what?"

"Nothing," Atem soothed, and Yugi felt the question slip from his focus.

His cards and the practice match (not to mention his poor fishing rod) forgotten, he inched closer to the edge of the boat. "What about you, Atem? What do you do?"

Atem hummed dismissively. "Not much at all. I'm supposed to be following in my father's footsteps, but I have no interest in doing so."

Yugi smiled knowingly. “You’d rather swim around all day, huh? But what does you father do?"

Atem’s eyes locked with Yugi’s. "You wouldn't be interested," He answered, and Yugi again felt his own question fading from his mind.

But that was wrong, because he _was_ interested; he was very interested in the man in front of him. He shook his head and cleared his mind. "No, I'm interested. Please tell me?"

Atem didn't answer, and instead stared at him with surprise. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, looking rather amusingly like a fish.

“Ate- ”

“That song.” Atem blurted out. “That song you were singing. I've never heard it before, do you mind if i try singing it?”

“Uh...sure?” It was an obvious distraction, but if Atem didn't want to talk, it would be rude to press. It was an odd way of redirecting the conversation, though.  He zipped open his bag to retrieve his earbuds, but Atem didn't seem to need them - he’d already started.

Like Yugi, he began the song humming. Yugi was halfway through admiring how rich it sounded when Atem opened his mouth to sing the lyrics. A rich baritone rose from his lips, and Yugi was in awe instantly. this was a quality of voice he thought only possible with the acoustics of a music hall.

And this was a song Atem had supposedly never heard before? Yugi might have suspected this of being a lie, had he been able to think at all. It was strangely difficult, as if that beautiful voice was filling up all the space in his brain and pushing everything else out. He shifted forward, leaning on his arms to get as close as he could to the sound. Now he was close enough to watch Atem's lips wrap around every word, occasionally catching a glimpse of white teeth and a wet tongue. Atem didn't seem to mind the proximity; he was still singing, dazzling eyes hooded as they watched Yugi lean ever closer. In fact, he was beginning to lean closer himself, gently pulling himself up to meet Yugi’s eye level.

But then Atem’s eyes flashed with sudden realisation and he abruptly stopped the song. He jerked away from the boat as if he’d been burned, and dipped low into the water.

Yugi came to his senses at once. He fell back onto his seat, a blush spreading across his face.  “Sorry! I… I don't know what I was thinking!”

Atem took a moment to reply, as he was clearing his throat with a hand over his mouth. When he spoke next, his voice sounded normal, losing the strange acoustic quality. “Ah… you don't need to apologise. You slipped and fell forward, that's all.”

“I…” Had he? Yugi didn't think so, but he was having trouble remembering exactly _what_ had just happened. He supposed it was possible, though he didn't know what he could have slipped on - he’d been sitting down. “W-Well, I'm still sorry that I interrupted you. That was _amazing_.”

With a hesitant smile, Atem pulled himself back up so that his nose was at the same level as the lip of the boat. “Anyway, I've distracted you from the task at hand. You should pick that rod back up, and you should probably replace the bait.”

 Yugi let out a short ‘Gah!’ as he remembered the abandoned pole. A quick check of the hook revealed that the bait had indeed been taken. Yugi sighed, opened his cooler and retrieved his box of bait. Atem leaned over, curious of its contents. Yugi felt his eyes on him as he picked a piece of squid and skewered it on the hook.

“You're going to continue fishing for a red bream, then?” Atem questioned behind him.

“Yup,” replied Yugi. “If I can't get an amberjack, a bream will have to do.”

Atem fell silent, his eyes distant and contemplative. "I'm sorry," he said suddenly, "I know I said I'd keep you company, but there's something I need to do."

“What?” Yugi’s heart sunk. He knew it - that stunt he'd pulled had made things awkward. “Oh...really?”

Atem must have noticed his expression, because he added: “I will return, I promise, but it might be a while. An hour or two, perhaps.”

Yugi frowned in confusion. “What do you need to do?”

Atem smirked up at him, a gleam in his eye. “It’s a surprise. But before I go, I need a favour from you.” Before Yugi could respond, Atem hoisted himself up so that he was level with Yugi’s eyes and brought a hand to Yugi's cheek.

“I need you not to watch me leave.” If it sounded like an odd request, Yugi didn't notice. Atem’s words wormed their way inside Yugi’s head and stayed there, blocking out all other thought. “Would you turn away for… oh, about ten seconds?”

“Sure,” replied Yugi, who was just concentrating on keeping a steady heart rate.

He turned away obediently and fixed his gaze on the rocks. He started counting silently, and didn't turn around even when he heard a splash from Atem’s side of the boat.

When he got to six, however, he began to wonder why he had agreed to such a thing. Why on earth would Atem need him to do this? He turned back around, scanning the sea for any sight of Atem. He wasn't visible, but there was a stream of ripples making its way to the edge of the coast. It was too fast to be him… or was it? Maybe he was wearing flippers. He imagined someone who spent so much time in the ocean might wear something like that. Whatever it was disappeared around the curve of the coast before he could properly wonder about it.

Yugi sat alone, packing away his cards. Though he felt somewhat abandoned, a bubble of amusement grew inside him. Atem was such an odd person, but Yugi couldn't help but like him. He said he would return: no point doubting him now. And maybe with Atem gone, he could actually get some fishing done. He finished preparing his line, cast it, and settled into his long, boring wait.

Yugi groaned in relief when, thirty minutes later, the pole moved in his hands. He jerked it upwards immediately and began to reel. He was soon to be disappointed, however. The creature dangling from is hook was a slimy and squirming catfish. Not good for eating at all, and common as dirt to boot. Sucking at his teeth, he prepared to throw the fish back, but found he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was his first catch ever, and he felt wrong just throwing it back. The catfish had tired of struggling and was limp on the hook, making it simple for Yugi to pack it into his cooler.

After resetting his hook and casting his line, Yugi had to wait only another fifteen minutes before he got another bite. this one was undeniable: the dip in the pole was sudden and sharp. Repeating his method, he pulled the rod upward and reeled. The spool whined with the force of his pace, but he ignored it.

He might have cried with joy. Dancing on his hook was a large sea bream, its red scales and pink underbelly shining in the sunlight. Finally, he could quit this sorry excuse for a sport. Yugi wiped the sweat off his brow. Relieved beyond belief, he unhooked the fish and placed it next to the catfish. Then he sat back and let out a long breath. What to do now? He had a lot of time to kill until Atem returned. He could cast his line again, but it was hard to hold any interest in fishing when his goal had already been achieved. Listening to music wouldn't keep off the boredom for very long, and he’s already spent hours looking at his cards with Atem.

As his eyes glazed over and stared mindlessly at the rocky coast, he considered exploring it. But unless he wanted his boat to drift away in the meantime, he would need to drag it all the way onto the sand, and that sounded like more effort than Yugi could be bothered with.

He could still explore the water around the coast, he supposed, so he packed his rod away and began to row. The ripple of water he’d assumed was Atem had disappeared around the cliff to his left, so he worked his way there. Once he’d rounded the corner, Yugi found that the cliff actually spread quite a ways down the coast. Eventually, the tall rocks dissolved into a sandy beach, populated with a colourful crowd of people. They looked like ants from so far away.

The cliffs themselves held nothing of interest, so he ventured out a little deeper for a better view. Looking at the cliff from this angle revealed nothing new at first, but Yugi soon spotted a jagged split in the rock that disappeared into the waves a smalls ways to his right. Rowing closer to it, Yugi realised that it was more than just a crack: it was an opening. With the sun behind him, the light extended into it enough for Yugi to make out that it was actually a sea cave. Inside, he could see that it was small, only looking to be ten meters deep.

Yugi was hoping it’d be a little bigger - he couldn’t imagine finding anything too interesting inside a cave this small. On the other hand, he might have gotten lost in a large one, so maybe this was better. He wasn’t even sure he would be able to steer his boat through the small opening.

Happily, he found that the boat fit by a safe enough margin, though it was too narrow for his oars. He levered them on the rocks instead, pushing himself into the dark space. Inside was wide enough to row, but it was darker and Yugi had to pause to allow his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Soon enough he was able to see that the back wall was separated from him by a small shore that descended steeply into the water. The water itself was so clear that Yugi could see the bottom through the surface below him, sparkling in spite of the dim light. The slight pull of the water made rowing unnecessary, and Yugi's boat drifted slowly toward the tiny shore. This was perfect: no way the boat would drift away from him now. Once he felt the boat hit sand, he took off his shoes and carefully stepped out.

Yugi found that the cave was quite round, making it a much more spacious area than it looked from outside. The sand extended further than he'd thought, plateauing off until it met the back of the cave. It was smooth to walk on, and the cold sand felt good against the soles of his feet, but nearer to the walls he could see sharp rocks rising out of the sand. He gave them a wide berth.

Yugi almost stepped on a small pile of something to the right of his boat, close to where the water lapped at the sand. Squatting down, Yugi found it to be a collection of shells of all different kinds. He shifted through them, admiring their shape and colour, and found at the bottom several small shark teeth. The area around the collection was raised, forming a small wall to keep the lapping water from disturbing it.

So Yugi wasn't the first person to have discovered this cave. This wasn’t altogether surprising, but it seemed strange that someone would take the time to gather such an impressive collection only to leave it in such a secret place. Yugi's eyes slid from the shells to the other, smaller pile that was half-sunken into the sand. Nobody had tried to protect this collection from the waves, but why would they? It was a pile of thin fishbones, picked clean and discarded. Yugi shivered: how creepy. This was clearly left by some sort of animal, and the fact that this animal had a designated discard heap indicated it was a clever one. Yugi wondered if the creature was the same one responsible for the ensemble of shells and teeth next to it. Yugi's common sense assured him that he wasn’t likely in any danger, but nevertheless he found his childlike wonder of this secret cave fading. It was beginning to feel like he shouldn’t be here, as if he was intruding on someone else’s space. The damp smell in the air began to make him claustrophobic, and he nervously glanced around as if he were worried something was in there with him.

Quickly, he raised himself from his knees and dusted them off, irritated that he'd managed to creep himself out - what was he, eight years old? - and returned to the boat. He busied himself with turning the boat around, using his oars to push off the sharp rocks peppering the corner of the shore. They clacked noisily, the sound echoing around the cavern, causing Yugi to miss the arrival of a figure at the cave’s mouth.

It took Yugi a few moments to realise he was no longer alone. Something had blocked the stream of light coming from the afternoon sun, and Yugi froze when he turned to see the shape of a person’s torso above the water. They were motionless, but their hands were resting on the water’s surface and holding something Yugi couldn’t see. Harsh shadows prevented Yugi from making out any details. They struck an imposing silhouette, and Yugi was instantly on guard.

Then the figure spoke. “Yugi, what are you doing here?”

The familiar voice dissolved Yugi’s fear at once. “Atem,” breathed Yugi in realisation, “it's you. You scared the crap outta me.”

Atem didn't reply immediately, nor did he move. “How did you find this place?”

If Yugi didn’t know better, he would have said Atem sounded upset. Was it because he’d left the coast? Maybe Atem had spent some time searching for him. “I got tired of fishing, so I explored around a bit.” He said apologetically. “I found this tiny cave though, isn’t it cool?”

This time, Atem didn't reply at all.

Yugi's brow furrowed. Atem was definitely upset. He pulled on the oars to close the distance between them, frustrated that he couldn’t see Atem properly. But as soon as he did, Atem skimmed several feet further away from him. Yugi released the oars in confusion. Maybe it had been a trick of the light, but Atem’s movement seemed very unnatural. He hadn't moved his shoulders at all - he'd simply leaned back and drifted the distance.

“Atem, are you alright?” He asked with concern.

“I'm fine.” came the curt reply.

Yugi was unconvinced. He was about to press further, when Atem spoke again. This time, he spoke in smooth tones, seeming calmer.

“Yugi, please approach me quickly. Keep your eyes on mine while you do - don't look anywhere but my eyes.”

Yugi was already following the demand by the time Atem finished speaking. He was glad for permission to stare into Atem’s eyes; he'd been admiring them since they'd met, after all. As he neared, Atem dipped the object in his hands below the surface, hiding it from view. He was watching anxiously, and Yugi wished he knew what was troubling him so. He could have spent an eternity watching those eyes, but Yugi was drawn from them by a sudden movement behind Atem's head.

There was something in the water, a peculiar steam heading right for them. Yugi remembered seeing a similar stream earlier in the day, when Atem had just left him. As it got closer, Yugi noticed with a start a small dorsal fin sticking out of the water. He wanted to shout, to warn, but there was a fog in his mind, slowing his senses.

“Atem…” he tried, but before he could say another word Atem was slammed from behind by an unseen force.  He disappeared below the water with a sharp splash.

“Atem!” he cried, watching helplessly as the water churned where Atem had been. A flash of limbs emerged before becoming drowned again, and what emerged in its place was the rough, grey, unmistakable tail of a shark.

Terror seized Yugi's heart. He scrambled to the edge of the boat, knocking over his backpack in the process. He had no idea what he could do in this situation. He had no weapon, little swimming experience, and no knowledge on how to fight off a shark, but his mind wasn’t on such things. He had to get to Atem, before -

A figure rose from the water. It wasn’t Atem - it was someone else entirely. His skin was dark, but that was the only similarity they shared. This person was bulkier, with broad shoulders and wild white hair that fell across his shoulders.

Yugi hardly noticed. What really drew his eye was the appendage sticking out from the man’s spine: it was the dorsal fin he’d seen stalking Atem just moments before.

Yugi stared at it, unable to believe what he was seeing. The sharp, bony fin ran from midway down the man’s back to the base of his spine before dipping below the water. And there, just visible below the surface was the tail Yugi had just seen, _attached to the man at the hips_.

Yugi blinked and looked again, waiting for his eyes to correct themselves. This couldn’t be a real thing. It had to be an effect of the dim light, or an odd angle, or something like it, because there was no way Yugi was actually looking at a mermaid. _Merman,_ his mind corrected unhelpfully.

Yugi had no time to process this impossibility. The man was still wrestling Atem beneath the waves, but he had the advantage and soon overpowered the body beneath him. He plunged a hand into the water and dragged Atem up by the hair.

The man pulled him close and growled into his ear. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you glad to see me?”

“Not now, Bakura.” Atem might have sounded commanding if he hadn’t spluttered every word.

“Yes, now.” he spat, leaning closer. “You think you can just steal from me and get away with it?”

“I'll accept the consequences… ” replied Atem hurriedly, glancing in Yugi’s direction. “... but _later_ . You can’t be here right now. _Leave_.”

The one called Bakura laughed bitterly. “You fucking hypocrite, you've got some damn nerve to make a demand like that. What’s got you so...” He turned to examine his surroundings, and for the first time noticed Yugi. A cruel look of understanding stretched across his face. “Oh, I see. I'm _interrupting_.”

Atem went rigid, his teeth clenched. His gaze was locked on Yugi, but wasn’t quite meeting his eye. Yugi gulped, not liking the thick tension in the air. It worried Yugi enough that Atem seemed to know, even able to hold his own in a fight against this shark monster, but Atem was clearly threatened by him. That didn’t bode well at all, and the way the stranger was grinning at him was greatly unnerving, not least because of the set of serrated, pointy teeth it revealed.

Bakura released Atem’s hair and clapped him on the shoulder in a phony show of peace. “I'll make you a deal, Prince. I don’t mind forgiving you for your thievery,” he stressed the last word, “... if you share this one with me.”

Atem’s body seized up, and his eyes snapped back to Bakura’s. “He is not for sharing.” he hissed.

Yugi had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t like the sound of it at all. His eyes darted to the mouth of the cave, wanting desperately to excuse himself, but there was no way he would be able to make it there without first coming in reach of the two. It was all Yugi could do to shrink back as far as he could into his boat, gripping onto the back edge.

Bakura’s hand was still on Atem’s shoulder, and he dug his nails into the skin. “You should reconsider.”

Atem’s reply was so quiet, Yugi almost didn’t hear it. “Don’t make me throw you out. Please don’t.”

Bakura bared his teeth like a deranged animal. With a snarl he reeled back, and Yugi for a moment thought he was backing off. But then he lunged forward with his whole body, his monstrous tail propelling him sharply forward. Atem was ready for him, and he dipped under the water before Bakura could make contact.

Yugi expected Atem to reappear out of Bakura’s reach, but what happened instead was something Yugi could never have imagined.

Yet another tail of what looked like a huge, crimson fish rose out of the water and slammed into Bakura’s side, toppling him sideways. It was only then that Atem resurfaced, and Yugi was faced with the realisation that the tail was his.

The water became a frothing battleground, making it impossible to make out what was going on underneath. All he could see were the occasional flashes of limbs and scales. The back of his mind was screaming at him to help Atem, but the sheer impossibility of the creatures in front of him turned his body to lead.

Mermaids. They were _mermaids,_ both of them. Mythical creatures from fairy tales, violently tearing into each other right before his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. It was impossible. But what choice did he have but to believe it? The proof was right in front of him. And what was more, things were beginning to click into place in the back of Yugi’s mind. The mystery that was Atem was beginning to solve itself piece by piece, until it started to make so much sense that Yugi could hardly believe he’d never realised it before.

Yugi was forced to put his crisis on hold when the two in front of him finally resurfaced. Bakura’s larger frame had gotten the best of Atem, and had caught him in an underarm chokehold.

“Atem!” cried Yugi. He grabbed the lip of the boat in panic, but doing so upset its balance. Yugi lurched forward before falling back again. The boat bumped against something behind him, and Yugi realised that the tide had pushed the boat all the way back to the shore.

Neither of the creatures took any notice. “Gonna throw me out, huh?” Bakura spat, “Big talk for such a weakling.”

Atem was struggling to reply, his tail churning in the water below him. His hands were scrabbling wildly at the strong arms holding him, only succeeding in leaving thin scratches along the length of Bakura’s arm.

Yugi thought desperately of something he could do, putting aside his confusion as best he could - this wasn't the time. He could try to wrestle Bakura off, but getting there would put him out of his depth allowing him to be easily overpowered. Throw something, then? He had nothing to throw except his fishing equipment. He had the ice from his cooler, though. They wouldn't hit very hard, but perhaps they could distract Atem's assailant enough for him to escape his grip.

When he opened the cooler, however, Yugi got a better idea. Looking up at him with unseeing eyes were the two fish he’d caught earlier in the day. If a distraction was all Yugi could manage, a fish to the face would be much more effective than a few chunks of ice.

The catfish was unpleasant to handle, but Yugi ignored it. He took a moment to aim, thankful for the fact that Bakura was paying no attention to him, and then let it fly. It landed squarely on Bakura’s face with a satisfying _thwap_ , right on the nose.

Taken completely by surprise, Bakura let out a guttural yell and loosened his grip on Atem. Atem seized his chance and lashed out, clawing at the other’s face. Bakura howled in pain and lunged for him, and they disappeared under the water once more.

Yugi grabbed for his oars. If he could get closer, maybe he could do something more to help. But before he could even slip the oar into the water, the two emerged holding each other at arm’s length. They were both panting, and Yugi saw that Bakura had one of his eyes screwed shut, showing off a nasty gash. A trickle of blood, diluted with water, was flowing down his face. _This is real,_ Yugi realised. _This might end with someone’s death._

“Stop it!” Yugi shrieked, before he could think any better of it. “Please stop.” Two pairs of eyes locked onto him, and Yugi suddenly felt very small.

Atem’s eyes flickered between Yugi and the tip of his red tail, visibly peeking out of the water. The tail quickly dipped out of sight as if there was some chance Yugi would unsee it, and Atem pointedly avoided his gaze. Bakura’s stare was fierce and unwavering, a toothy smirk stretching across his lips. Ever so slightly, he shifted his position in the water and adjusted his balance forward.

Atem noticed too late. “No, don’t-”

Bakura dove for Yugi, fast. Time seemed to move in slow motion as fear kicked his adrenaline awake, and he jumped backward, only succeeding in stumbling over the seat and collapsing on the hard wood. Atem shouted after him - “ _Yugi_!” - but he barely heard it. He had no time to think: only to act. Securing both his hands on the solid object closest to him, he swung it with all the strength he could muster.

The oar smashed into Bakura's head with a resounding _crack_ , sending him flying face-first into the cluster of rocks to Yugi's left. Too scared stiff to move, he readied the oar for a second attack.

When it didn't come, time began to move again. Yugi peeked over the edge of the boat to see Bakura lying motionless where he'd fallen. blood leaked into the water around him, staining the creature’s white hair. The rest of his body had fallen in the shallows, giving Yugi full view of the thick tail floating limply in the water. It was made up of rough-looking dark scales and sported several sharp-looking fins, but Yugi had no chance to satisfy his curiosity for Atem was there in the next moment. He dug his nails into the tail's fin and pulled, dragging Bakura unceremoniously back into deeper water. 

Atem kept his back to Yugi. “Are you alright?”

 “Y-yeah, I'm okay. He didn't reach me.”

 “Good.”

 Yugi wrung his hands, awkwardness filling the silence between them. He wished Atem would look at him. Was he afraid, now that Yugi had seen what he was? Should _he_ be afraid? Yugi didn't know how to ask such a thing.

 Instead, he asked something simpler. “Is...he dead?”

 Atem pulled back on Bakura's head and lay his own above the unconscious creature’s heart. “...No.”

 When Atem didn’t elaborate, the questions Yugi had been pushing aside returned with full force. He just couldn't stand it anymore. Though it had only been a day, Atem had been occupying his thoughts for what felt like weeks, and adding in the fact that Atem was a...a _mermaid_ made it too much for him to keep inside. “Atem, what… what’s going on? Who was that…? And who are _you_?”

 Atem’s whole body flinched, and Yugi feared he might have sounded harsher than he meant. Without a glance at Yugi, Atem hoisted the bulk of Bakura’s tail under his arm. With a wide swoosh of his elegant tail, he started towards the mouth of the cave, no longer making any effort to hide his appearance.

"Wait!" Yugi dropped the oar aside. "Atem, wait!"

 Atem seemed to falter, but otherwise ignored him.

"Please wait," he begged, hurriedly stepping out of the boat. "Atem-"

Atem fully submerged before he could take another step. Yugi could do nothing but watch the vague shape of Atem disappear into the ocean outside, the unconscious form of Bakura trailing after.

 Defeated, Yugi fell backwards onto the sand behind him with a splash. Beside him, thin tendrils of blood from Bakura's collision with the rocks were drifting into the main body of water, and Yugi shifted away in disgust.

 His adrenaline gone, cold began to seep under his skin. His clothes were becoming soaked, chilling him further, but the coldest feeling of all came from watching Atem leave him.

 Was he going to come back? Or was he planning to disappear forever now that his secret had been revealed? He hoped not. Yugi had so many questions he might explode, but a large part of him just didn't like the thought of never seeing him again.

But was that wise? Atem was a mermaid... man. If Yugi remembered his myths right, they were supposed to prey on humans. Greek stories spoke of them luring men into a false sense of security, only to make a feast out of them.

With a sick feeling, Yugi realised that had been very similar to how Atem had been acting. He had utterly charmed Yugi with a smooth voice and kind words, and even tried to pull Yugi into the water with him. Goosebumps rose on his flesh at the memory of just how close he’d been to succumbing. He’d resisted then, but today he’d managed to lure Yugi to this tiny, secluded cave away from any prying eyes. He had defended Yugi from that white-haired one, yes, but what if that had been about defending his catch? Yugi shivered with uncertainty, and looked at his boat. It was still afloat despite everything, and he might manage an escape back to civilisation if he tried.

He got up, wincing at how his drenched pants chafed him, and collected both his oars. As he put them back in the boat, however, it occurred to him that he hadn't exactly been lured here. Atem had told him about the fishing spot, sure, but Yugi had found the cave of his own accord. Atem had sounded surprised, and even unhappy to find him there. He couldn't really call that 'lured'.

his pondering sparked a memory of the thing Atem had been holding when he'd arrived. It had been big and greenish, but Yugi hadn't been able to make out anything else. It'd disappeared when Bakura had attacked, and Yugi had forgotten all about it. A quick search found the thing floating in the water to the right of the cave, bumping against the rocks. Yugi waded over curiously to retrieve it, and recognised it at once. He had, after all, researched it just last night.

Atem had gone to catch him an amberjack.

Yugi swallowed the lump in his throat as he gingerly handled it. He placed it in his cooler next to the bream he’d caught, then sat on the hard wooden seat of the boat feeling even more uncertain than before.

Fatigue was setting into his bones, so if he was going to leave, he should do it quickly. Trying to put it all together by himself was useless. There were too many things he didn't know, and would never know if he left now. He closed his eyes and thought for a long while, listening the the faint sounds of water, amplified by the acoustics of the cave.

When he reopened his eyes, his mind was made up - though he wasn't at all confident that it was the right choice. He would wait for Atem.

\---

'Wait' turned out to be an understatement. 

For the first hour Yugi was content to rest in the boat, letting the sound of gentle waves lull him into a doze. his wet clothes made him too uncomfortable to sleep properly, so he removed his shirt and pants and draped them over the side of the boat. This left him somewhat cold in only his boxers, but at least it would allow his skin to dry. He sat in the boat, watching the mouth of the cave intently.

In the second hour, something drifting on the water’s surface caught his eye. His heart dropped to his stomach when he realised it was one of his cards, and he spend the next few minutes in a panicked frenzy searching for any others. He found two more washed up on the sand, warped by saltwater. None of the ruined cards were irreplaceable, but Yugi nevertheless berated himself for bringing them in the first place. He wiped them off as best he could, but they were beyond repair. He placed them to dry on the floor of the boat, next to his clothes.

By the third hour, boredom had seeped into every crevasse of his mind. He’d tried pacing up and down the tiny shore, splashing mindlessly at the small waves, and looking through the pile of shells again (Atem's?), but none of it did anything to entertain him. He had settled on drawing in the wet sand with his finger. Doodling dark magicians had reminded him sullenly of his ruined cards, so he’d switched to meaningless patterns and swirls.

He was in the middle of a particularly large swirl when a loud gasp and a splash made Yugi dart upright.

"Atem?" He asked hopefully. When he heard no reply, he slowly walked around the cave’s shore to the other side, hoping to get an angle that allowed him to see the entrance better. "Atem, is that you?"

Yugi was met with silence, but from his new angle he could see the vague shape of a crimson tail fin peeking out from the rocky entrance. “Atem, I can see your… I can see you.”

The red shape hurriedly shifted away from sight. "Why are you still here?" Atem's biting voice rebounded off the rocks.

Everything Yugi was planning to say left him. He didn’t think Atem would be angry to see him still here. “Oh. I’m sorry, I just wanted to… should- should I go?”

“Wait,” came Atem’s voice, softer this time. “I only meant… I thought you would have already gone.”

Yugi laughed nervously, reassured at least that Atem was not angry. "Well, it was kind of a long wait, but… I was worried if I left, I'd never see you again." Yugi took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He had to keep his tone of voice casual, or he’d scare Atem away again. “What… what took you so long, anyway?”

Yugi could hear a soft lapping sound of water behind Atem’s hiding place as the creature shifted. "I had to return - his name is Bakura - to his own waters, which is rather far away. I never thought you would be waiting for me. I thought… you were afraid of me."

"No!" Without the protection of his clothes, the wind from outside chilled Yugi's shoulders. "I didn’t… I’m sorry if I seemed that way, I was just so confused, I...I didn’t know what to say.”

Finally, Yugi detected some movement. The tips of Atem’s hair appeared slowly, followed by his inquisitive eyes peering over the top of a craggy rock.

Yugi released the breath he’d been holding into a smile. “Will you come out?”

Atem glowered at him with uncertainty. “Do you even know what I am?”

“I think, kind of.” Yugi stepped a few paces into the water, pausing to judge Atem’s reaction. When Atem didn’t seem to mind, he took a few steps more.  “You’re a mermaid, right?”

Atem’s brow knitted together and he dipped out of sight. For a heart-stopping moment, Yugi feared Atem had left. But then he reappeared again, this time coming out from his hiding place so that Yugi could see him properly. “We are called sirens,” he corrected, “but yes.”

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, tensing as the cold water chilled his spine. “Right, of course. Sorry.” From his lower position in the water, the surface acted as a mirror, preventing him from seeing Atem’s shape under the water. He was desperately curious, but didn’t know how to ask.  

Atem seemed to recognise the look in his eye, though. “Is it curiosity that makes you stay, then? Didn’t want to miss your chance to see a mythical creature?”

Yugi advanced a bit further into the water. “No! You’re my friend, that’s why! I would be sad if I never saw you again.”

This seemed to genuinely surprise Atem. “Your friend?”

“Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you be?”

Atem’s eyes flashed, giving Yugi pause. What was that? It looked like guilt. Was there something he was still hiding? Almost as soon the question occurred to him, his own mind supplied the answer. There had been times, both yesterday and today, that things had gotten a little strange. From when he’d almost been convinced to swim, to just today when they’d almost… never mind. They’d all had one thing in common.

“Hey...if you’re a siren, does that mean you can do that hypnosis thing with your voice?”

Atem was caught off guard, and stuttered. “H-How did you know…?”

So he had been right. “Know what?” Yugi prompted. He wanted to hear Atem say it.

Atem nodded reluctantly. “Our voice can hypnotise humans, if we will it. It is the _call_. It makes them relax, and... not notice some things.”

That was an understatement. The mere sound of it had wiped Yugi’s mind of any serious thought. The effect it’d had on him seemed so obvious in retrospect.

“Why?” Yugi whispered. “Why were you trying to….hypnotise me?”

Atem withdrew his gaze from Yugi’s, ashamed. “I was- I was…”

A cold weight settled itself inside Yugi’s stomach. “You were going to eat me, weren’t you?”

Atem’s eyes widened and he shifted forward, creating a small splash. “But I’m not going to anymore! I swear to you, Yugi!”

For a hopeful moment Yugi thought he was entirely wrong, that Atem would explain how he would never do anything so horrible. But the word _anymore_ cut through that theory like a knife, and Yugi was forced to accept his worst fear as true. “But… you were going to when we first met, right?”

Atem flinched, a pained expression marring his perfect features. That was answer enough.

Yugi swallowed, wondering why he wasn’t feeling more afraid. The lump in his stomach was still there, but it wasn’t fear so much as dejection. It was saddening and a bit terrifying that he’d been so close to being someone’s dinner - someone that was currently not three feet from him. But still Yugi did not fear him. Yugi found himself believing Atem when he said that was no longer his intention. Yesterday, Yugi had sensed Atem’s predatory intentions in his cocky smile and confidence. There was no trace of that now. Instead, he looked nervous, afraid of rejection. His brows were upturned in worry, his ruby eyes wide.

Yugi’s heart squeezed just to look at him. “And what made you change your mind?”

Atem contemplated the question for a long moment, staring at the water between them. “Nobody has ever been able to resist my call before. I was confused, but also impressed.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided smile, showing a sharp canine in the process. “I wanted to know more about the human who’d bested me.”

Yugi flushed. “I didn’t best you. I just thought it wasn’t a great idea to swim with a stranger.”

Atem leaned forward, a glint in his eye.  “Exactly! You _thought_ . You heard my call, and yet you still _thought_. Can you not see how incredible that is?”

He couldn’t, not really. It had just been common sense that had forced Yugi back to his senses, after all. If it had never happened before, though, he supposed it would seem amazing.

Atem continued, “When we met today, I’d already decided not to, ah, harm you. I just wanted to find out more about you, to understand what made you able to overcome me.”

Yugi was glad to see Atem’s face free of gloom, and found himself smiling along with him. “And… did you find out what it was?”

Atem shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know for sure. I got a bit sidetracked with learning your game.”

Yugi chuckled and resumed making his way to Atem, now that the thick tension of mistrust had been cleared. “I got sidetracked too. Did you know, without you to distract me, I actually caught some fish.”

Atem brightened. “Truly? Well done!”

Yugi caught Atem’s eye and grinned. “I found the amberjack, by the way. Thank you.” The ocean was now up to Yugi’s armpits, making it hard for Yugi’s feet to stay on the seafloor.

Atem flushed, clearly having forgotten all about it. “Well…  you shouldn’t feel too grateful. I brought trouble back with me, after all.”

Yugi took another step forward and begun to tread water to stay afloat. “But you didn’t mean to- ” his words were interrupted by a mouthful of saltwater, “ - wasn’t your fault- ” his chin once again dipped below the water, drowning out his words.

Atem started out of his embarrassment. “Yugi, be careful. You’re in too deep.”

“Well, come here where it’s shallower then.” countered Yugi, hopping backward on one foot until he could stand properly again. Atem didn’t follow him, however, and Yugi could see hesitation in his eye. “What’s wrong?”

“If I come any closer, you’ll see me.”

Yugi wiped his mouth in an attempt to get rid of the salty taste overpowering him. “I can see you already.” Yugi smiled, though he knew what Atem really meant.

Yugi reached out his hands with his palms up in an unspoken plea. Atem glanced down at them for a moment.

“Atem?” Yugi prompted.

Atem looked back up at him again, and their eyes locked. Then, without breaking his gaze, Atem slowly dipped under the water’s surface and in a matter of moments reemerged right in front of him. The water flowed down his skin from the roots of his hair before dripping from his chin to the water. This was the closest Yugi had ever been to Atem, aside from that moment on the boat earlier in the day. Now that he was really looking, it struck him how _inhuman_ Atem looked. His features were too sharp, with high cheekbones and a slender nose. His eyes were narrow, though at the moment they were widened, showing two slitted pupils. The more Yugi looked, the more he noticed. A pale sheen on his skin, a curve to his lip. Every subtle quirk to his features added up to something… more than human.

 _An angel_ , Yugi found himself thinking. An angel from the sea.

Yugi jolted out of his corny daydream when something cool and wet touched his hands. He had forgotten about his outstretched palms, and Atem was now curling his fingers around Yugi’s. He hadn’t meant Atem to hold his hand - it was supposed to be more of a ‘come here’ gesture - but Yugi rather liked Atem’s idea better. The touch was spreading tingles through his nerves, settling in his gut.

He brought the hands closer to him, curious. They were distinctly non-human: each finger was webbed starting halfway between the knuckles, and rather than nails Atem was sporting a dangerous-looking set of claws. The skin from his fingers to the elbow was also a noticeably darker colour. “Wow,” he whispered. “How come I never…?”

“The webs are almost invisible when I close my fingers,” Atem explained quietly, demonstrating for him.

“But the claws, and the colour,” said Yugi. “And your _face_. How did I never notice any of it?”

Atem blinked at the last one. But then he drew a little closer to Yugi, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “I kept you a tad too distracted to notice anything.”

Yugi flushed. Atem was referring to his hypnotism, he knew, but he wondered if Atem knew just how _distracted_ he’d been, even without the hypnosis. In fact, he was feeling _distracted_ right now. He was glad to see the siren’s confident smile return, but it was causing his heart rate to jump.

Avoiding Atem’s gaze, Yugi let his eyes trail down Atem’s body, past the water’s surface. He was close enough now that the water didn’t interfere with his view, and Yugi could see Atem’s tail. The long, ruby-red expanse of scales started just below his navel, and travelled down past where his legs would have been and into a large, elegant fin. He’d seen it before, but it had been too briefly for him to process any details.

“Wow.” whispered Yugi, unable to find the words to describe what he was seeing.

Atem let out a small huff of amusement and withdrew his hands from Yugi’s. With a flick of his tail, he flipped onto his back and drifted along the water beside Yugi. This brought his tail just below the surface, giving Yugi full view of it.

The scales on Atem’s underside were paler the closer they came to his navel, ending in a light pink. His tail fin resembled that of a dolphin’s, with two strong flukes that looked to be the same width as Atem’s shoulders. Yugi noted with interest that unlike a dolphin, the fin had thin spines that fanned across the flukes, in a kind of combination of fish and dolphin anatomy. Another fish-like quality were the two thin, fluttering fins attached to his hips. They moved along with the water’s pull, and Yugi wondered what their purpose could be. Without thinking, he ran his fingers across one, feeling the smooth, filmy surface.

Yugi only realised what he’d done when he heard Atem’s breath hitch. “Sorry!” He squeaked, and withdrew his fingers quickly.

“No, it’s fine.” replied Atem, his cheeks pink. “You surprised me is all.”

“Can I see your back, too?”

Atem answered with a smile and flicked his tail again, sending him past Yugi’s shoulder and into the shallows. He twisted around with a fluid motion, so that he came to rest with his stomach on the sand.

The backside of Atem’s scales were a vibrant red, and several patches sparkled like rubies in the sunlight. From the new angle, Yugi spotted a set of gills just above where the scales melded into skin. This was presumably matched by another set on his other hip, though Yugi couldn’t see for sure. A small, spiny dorsal fin stretched from the base of his spine until it ended where his knees might be.

Yugi knelt next to him. “Can I..?”

“You may.” replied Atem, resting his head on his crossed arms.

Yugi marveled that Atem was so relaxed around him. He was lying with his back turned, and even allowing Yugi to touch him. Then again, he was still struggling to believe this all wasn’t some lucid dream.

He ran his fingers along Atem’s scales, feeling the rough bumps and edges. They weren’t slimy like the fish Yugi had caught. Instead, they were firm and neat like a snake’s. The dorsal fin was rougher to the touch, with spines that threatened to prick his fingers if he pressed too hard.

He heard Atem breathe deeply as Yugi skipped his fingers down his scales, and wondered if it was really alright to be touching him like this. He knew if it were him, he’d hate to be handled this way. Unbidden, an image of Atem running his hands along Yugi’s skin flashed before his eyes. He screwed his eyes shut, and the image disappeared. Atem was kindly letting him look, and he didn’t want to ruin it with perverted thinking.

He turned his attention back to his hands, which were now nearing the end of Atem’s tail. He tried touching the fin, but it twitched and flicked away.

“Sorry,” said Yugi, again retracting his fingers.

“It’s alright,” replied Atem, “It’s just sensitive.”

The blush on Atem’s face told a different story. Though Atem was trying his best to hide it, Yugi watched it spread from his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears.

Yugi couldn’t help the hopeful, amused smile that stretched across his lips. He tried touching the fin again, and although it twitched, it didn’t pull away. He trailed a finger delicately up one of the spines, enjoying the firmness of it. The fluke was fluttering under his touch, as if it was taking effort to stay still. A glance at Atem saw him burying his face into his crossed arms. Yugi searched his brain for something they could talk about, to relieve some of Atem’s shyness.

That moment on the boat surfaced in his mind, when Atem had been singing and Yugi had almost kissed him. This time, Yugi didn’t squash the memory, instead pondering what had occurred just afterwards. Atem had told Yugi that he’d slipped, but after everything he’d learnt, Yugi rather doubted that was the truth.

“Atem? Earlier today, you sang to me.”

“Mm?” came the muffled reply.

He paused then, adjusting his tone to avoid sounding accusatory. “Was that your hypnotism too?”

The muscle below Yugi’s touch went taut as Atem lifted himself up on his elbows and looked back at him. “It was an accident,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I was just trying to distract you from something you asked me.”

Yugi nodded slowly. “But you did hypnotise me,” he pointed out. “Does that mean you can’t control it?”

“I can,” said Atem, indignation tinging his cheeks. “I just got carried away, and before I knew it, I... ”

Yugi sat back, unsure of what that meant. “Oh.” It was true that at that time, Atem had appeared surprised himself.

Atem pushed himself off the sand, but didn’t get very far. Too much of his weight was out of the water. “Help me off, will you?”

Yugi reluctantly obliged. He hoped he hadn’t ruined the mood with his inquisitiveness, whatever that mood had been. He pulled on Atem’s hips and gently dislodged him from the sand, leading him into the shallows. Atem was still somewhat off-balance, so he placed a steadying hand on Yugi’s collarbone. “It’s hard for me to stay upright in such shallow water. Do you mind?”

Yugi shook his head absent-mindedly, still pondering Atem’s explanation. He slid his hands up to Atem’s waist and maneuvered him to deeper water, watching his step through the surface. “Is this deep enough?”

When Atem didn’t answer right away, Yugi glanced up at him curiously. The siren was staring at him, and it was only when Atem’s breath brushed by Yugi’s cheek that he realised how close they were. Everything he was about to say died on his tongue.

He was instantly hyper-aware of every point of contact between them. Atem’s rough fingers on his collar, his hands on Atem’s waist, and the skin and scales moving against his belly. His fingers twitched involuntarily, and the eyes staring at him widened a fraction in response. Yugi felt the fingers against his neck tighten.

Yugi swallowed, the undeniable tension in the air making it hard to breathe. His lack of clothes was making him feel incredibly exposed, but instead of anxiety or embarrassment, a fire was beginning to light itself under Yugi’s skin. It was a similar feeling, in fact, to the one he’d gotten earlier, when he’d been ‘called’ by Atem’s song.

“H-hey,” He started, and then paused to clear his throat, “You’re not… hypnotising me now, are you?”

Atem frowned. “Of course not.” The words were definite, they sounded like Atem himself was unsure. His voice was soft, only audible because of how close they were. His eyes were flicking between Yugi’s, not focusing on either one.

Meanwhile, Yugi couldn’t tear his eyes away from Atem’s. He felt nothing but the scales brushing against his thighs and the squeezing of his heart. “Um. Are you sure? Because I feel kind of… of…” It was like being drunk. He knew Atem spoke the truth though - it was different to before. Instead of being blank, his mind was racing so fast he couldn’t land on a single thought. “... weird.” he finished in a whisper.

Slowly, Atem slid the hand on Yugi’s shoulder behind his neck so that his fingers brushed by his wet hair. “So do I.” he murmured, so quietly that Yugi might have missed it if the words hadn’t been spoken millimeters from his lips.

They were so tantalizingly close that any movement from either of them would connect them. It was utterly silent save for the light trickle of water against rock, but the blood in Yugi’s ears was roaring. The back of his mind was screaming at him to close the distance between them, but he couldn’t get himself to move. He was frozen, eyes locked on Atem’s.

Atem was frozen too, a dazed look in his normally sharp eyes. His cheeks were darkened in a deep blush, and his eyes were searching Yugi’s desperately. Finally, when just for a moment they darted down to Yugi’s lips, it was enough to spur him into action. He dipped his head forward to meet Atem’s lips with his own.

Atem closed his eyes, and Yugi's own fluttered closed in bliss. For hours he had been sitting in this cave trying so hard not to wonder what Atem’s lips tasted like, or how they would feel against his. They were softer and warmer than anything he could have imagined. He took Atem’s bottom lip into his mouth and pulled gently, relishing the feel of the sensitive skin between his teeth.

Atem shifted in his arms, and suddenly his kiss was being returned with force, the hand on his neck pulling him in and keeping him in place. The strength behind those fingers made him moan softly as he felt teeth scrape his lips. His nerves were on fire, and a rushing sensation in his heart make him feel like he was falling from a great height, making him want to hold Atem even closer. He slipped his arms around Atem’s waist and hoisted him a little higher. In response Atem threaded his other hand through the hair behind Yugi’s ear, leaving his thumb free to stroke his cheek.

Their kisses were short, breathless and messy, each one sending a fresh wave of heat right though Yugi. Atem was pressing into him further and further, and as much as Yugi loved the weight bearing down on him, he soon felt himself beginning to lose his balance. He was loathe to break the kiss with Atem just to regain a firmer footing, and he opted instead to stumble backwards into the shallower water.

Without the support of the liquid, however, it became harder for Yugi to hold Atem’s weight. Yugi's feet lost their purchase on the soft sand and he toppled over into the shallows. His lips fell away from Atem’s in a gasp of surprise and he shot a hand out behind him. His backside sunk into the wet sand that Atem had moments ago been lying in, his hand preventing him from falling flat on his back. Atem grunted uncomfortably as he landed on top of Yugi and lost his grip on his neck. He slid down Yugi’s chest, coming to rest with his face smushed against Yugi’s ribcage and his belly in the sand between his knees.

Yugi blew away a lock of Atem’s spiky hair tickling his chin. “Are you alright? _Ah_.”

Atem’s answer had been several open-mouthed kissed on Yugi’s abdomen. Yugi jolted at the sudden feeling, instinctively burying his hand into Atem’s hair. He fell back into his elbows, muscles weakened from the tickling sensation. He looked down through half-lidded eyes, and frowned at the way Atem’s back seemed to be bent at an unnatural-looking angle. Without knees, his belly was being forced into the sand as his torso strained up to meet Yugi’s.

“A-Atem. That can’t be comfortable.”

Atem looked up at him through his lashes and answered between kisses. “It isn’t. I will have trouble breathing soon.”

That wasn’t what Yugi had meant, but a glance at Atem’s side revealed a more pressing issue. If the lapping water around them didn’t come high enough to cover Yugi’s stomach, Atem’s gills wouldn’t be touching a drop of it from their position above him. Atem didn’t seem to be in immediate trouble, but that wouldn’t last forever. Though the image of a breathless Atem appealed to him, Yugi thought he would rather it be because of him than the lack of oxygen.

He carefully placed his hands on Atem's waist and shifted his weight. Gently he rolled them over so that Atem was now the one half-submerged on his back, Yugi now straddling him. The gills below Atem’s ribcage opened and closed, sending a slight rush of water past Yugi’s thighs. Atem closed his eyes and exhaled slowly in relief.

"Better?" Asked Yugi.

"Better." confirmed Atem. He nestled back into the sand, giving Yugi a fantastic view of his neck and collar, and smoothed his clawed hands over Yugi’s thighs.

Now that their initial heated frenzy had cooled, the reality of their intimacy hit Yugi like a wet towel to the face. He had this beautiful creature under him, anticipating his touch, and he only had the barest idea of what he was doing. As he ran his hands over Atem’s belly and up his chest, however, he couldn’t bring himself to care. It would be alright to let his instincts take over, right? Half of Atem was human, after all. Maybe Yugi didn’t need to think so hard.

He thumbed over Atem’s nipples as he passed them on his way to cradle Atem’s jaw, earning him a gasp and a squirm. Yugi took this chance to plant kisses along the stretch of lovely tanned skin, thankful that the taste of salt wasn’t overpowering. He worked his way up, following the trail of his fingers before attaching to the soft underside of Atem’s neck and sucking lightly. Atem moaned in approval and slid his hands around Yugi’s hips, thumbs tracing the skin in small circles. The teasing sent a pleasant shiver through him, goosebumps springing up from the touch. He gasped against Atem’s jaw, and Atem took advantage, kissing him again.

Yugi felt Atem's tongue slide against his. He twisted around it with his own, moaning as it overheated his mouth. His mind was a haze, unable to focus on either the kiss or the hands that were slowly exploring up his chest. When he felt fingers rub his nipple, he couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped his mouth. The lips against his stretched into a smile, and another hand met with his untouched one and tweaked it.

Yugi ground down onto Atem on instinct. He was losing himself, he realised, and he didn’t care as much as he should have. Yugi could feel the heat pooling in his groin intensify, and if he wasn’t already hard, he would be soon. He half-heartedly tried to convince himself to pull away, but there was a part of him that was still afraid that if he let go of Atem, he’d disappear forever.

Distracted, Yugi hadn't noticed when a hand abandoned his nipple to explore lower. The hand trailed along the line of his hips, lightly scratching the skin with his claws until it finally brushed by the bulge in Yugi's pants.

" _Ah_ ," panted Yugi, detaching himself from Atem's lips.

"Yugi, is that..." Atem murmured breathlessly.

"I'm sorry!" Yugi blurted out. "Sorry, I - I just - _oh_ ," Yugi’s stuttering was cut off when Atem squeezed him through his shorts. Not expecting it, the muscles in his core buckled and he fell forward, digging his hands into the sand beside Atem’s head.

Atem grinned, seemingly very pleased at the reaction he’d gotten. His other hand started playing with the edge of Yugi’s waistband, fingers dipping underneath and pulling at the elastic. "Take these off?"

Yugi felt his whole face burn. “T-Take…?” The shorts were the only thing keeping him from being completely naked. Was Atem really willing to go this far with him? Yugi’s heart pounded in his chest. Excitement and arousal burned away any embarrassment he might have felt, and he consented immediately.

Leaning forward, he slipped his waistband past his hips, letting his erection free from the constricting fabric. He avoided Atem’s gaze as he did so, unsure of how the creature would react to his anatomy. He slipped the garment off his legs and flung it onto a nearby rock, out of the way. Feeling exposed, he turned back to Atem, and blushed hard when he saw him staring shamelessly at his cock.

"I always wondered what humans had," said Atem thoughtfully. "Does it always look like that?"

Yugi blushed harder still, settling back down into his straddling position over Atem. "No, only when we're...excited." He found himself wishing the water was deep enough to envelope him. It wouldn't be anything in the way of cover, but it would have eased his self-consciousness at least.

Atem was still staring at it with interest, seemingly unaware of Yugi's bashfulness. "Can I...?"

"Um… y-yeah." Oh God, but he wanted this.

Tentatively, Atem's fingers brushed along his length, which caused Yugi to shiver. He knew it would feel different to when he touched himself, but he'd had no idea just how _much_. More fingers curled around him as he hardened even further, and a thumb smoothed over the loose skin around the head curiously. Yugi let out a long moan as he felt his cock strain at the attention. Atem ran a finger along an engorged vein, then gave the whole length a firm stroke, sending a jolt of pleasure through Yugi’s body.

“Ah-,” Yugi clapped a hand to his mouth, too late to stifle the sound.

"Oh, this is different," mused Atem, "But not too different, I think."

His mind all over the place, Yugi took a moment to register Atem's words. "Different from what?"

Atem smiled cheekily up at him. “From mine.”

Before Yugi could respond, Atem pulled him down so that his cock pressed against their stomachs. He gave it a squeeze and whispered into his ear, "I want to make love to you rather badly. Can we?”

Yugi's breath caught in his throat. "...Oh." was all he managed.

It took a moment of Atem breathing silently in his ear for Yugi to realise that the other was waiting for an answer.

Just yesterday his brain had been warning him against this stunning man. Now that man (that had turned out not to be a man at all) was flushed and wanting underneath him. He felt uncertainty bubbling up inside him, and Yugi wondered if this was all happening too fast.  He placed a steadying hand on Atem’s chest, and felt the heartbeat beneath his fingers. It was hammering, the same rate as Yugi’s own heart. The proof that Atem felt the same way about him spread a warmth through Yugi. Suddenly the doubt inside him was gone, replaced with something altogether more wonderful. He fell forward against Atem once more, and stuttered his consent against his lips.

A throaty chuckle vibrated against him before a hand tipped his chin up. A sweet pair of lips attached themselves to the sensitive skin of his neck and teased with soft nips of teeth. Yugi’s eyes fluttered closed, and pouted when the lips didn’t stay.

“Sit up.”

Yugi did as he was told, shivering at the loss of Atem’s body heat. Atem placed his hand in Yugi’s, lacing their fingers together. He led Yugi this way down his navel and past several rows of scales. He lay their hands to rest over a set of raised, rough scales, a few inches from where Yugi was sitting. "Here," he murmured.

"Here," Yugi repeated, getting Atem’s meaning.

He ran his fingers over the scales, and in response he heard Atem let out a deep, heated sigh. He repeated the action, and this time watched as Atem's mouth opened in bliss, showing his pointed teeth. Yugi was struck with the urge to kiss him, and he leaned down and pecked him on the mouth in a wordless request. As soon as Atem opened his mouth, Yugi buried a hand in his hair before aligning their lips properly and deepening the kiss. Atem raised himself by his elbows and returned it eagerly. Yugi continued to stroke the scales with his hand while pouring as much attention as he could into the kiss. He was rewarded when Atem resumed massaging Yugi's cock, making Yugi instinctively grind forwards into the hand. Both of them moaned at the same time, the sound vibrating off their tongues deliciously.

Atem broke the messy kiss with a gasp. "Yugi - it's..."

Yugi had already noticed. The scales beneath his hand had softened and were beginning to move aside, giving way to something large and dark that slowly twisted around his fingers.

Yugi resisted the urge to yank his hand away at the foreign touch. He sat back and stared, allowing what was an honest-to-god _tentacle_ to entwine around a few of his digits. Though it was partially obscured by water, Yugi could see that it was long with a tapered head, becoming quite a lot thicker the closer it came to the base.

"S-sorry," muttered Atem, "I can't control it very well. Just pull away, it'll let you go."

Instead, Yugi gently circled around the appendage with his thumb, and dragged along its length. It was softer than it looked and had a strange yet pleasant sticky quality, reminding Yugi very strongly of a sea anemone. He stroked his thumb back and forth across the tentacle as he studied it. It was darker than Atem’s scales, a deep maroon that faded into a muted pink the closer it got to the tip. Yugi decided that he quite liked it.

" _Yugi_."  Atem let out a lewd moan and tipped his head back.

Secretly pleased that he’d managed to appear like he knew what he was doing, Yugi smiled down at Atem and gave the tentacle a gentle squeeze, making it tighten around his fingers. “You like that, huh?”

Atem grinned up at him playfully, if a little breathlessly. “Don’t tease.”

Having gained a bit of confidence, Yugi feigned a huff. "Oh, alright. How are we… how is this going to work then?"

Atem’s tail splashed the water behind them impatiently. "Come a bit closer." he answered.

Yugi shifted forward obediently, enjoying the feel of Atem's scales moving on his inner thighs. He came to a stop when his cock was almost touching Atem's tentacle. He retracted his hand from it, watching in interest at the way it reluctantly detached from him. It reached out after his fingers, seeking him, and instead found his cock.

Atem watched it attach with hooded eyes, his whole face flushed, and Yugi could hear him breathing in shallow gasps. Yugi sucked in a breath as the tentacle wrapped around him. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of the warmth surrounding him. It was soft and slick, the friction of its movement sending delightful shivers through Yugi's body. When it had used up its whole length, it tucked itself snugly below the head of Yugi's cock and squeezed gently.

Atem wiggled his hips in experimentation. "Does it feel okay?"

"Yeah," replied Yugi, a tad breathlessly. He squirmed, sending a wash of pleasant sensations through him.

Then, the soft tentacle began to slowly rub against him. It moved slowly, up his length and then down again. It was torturously slow, the texture of it burning into Yugi’s skin. He bucked into it, ripping a gasp from Atem’s lips. Slick from the water, his cock slid against the coil of Atem’s tentacle easily, creating a friction more intense. He repeated the action, earning more tiny moans from the creature below him. It was music to his ears, and he wanted to hear more. Yugi planted his hands on Atem’s chest and ground into him before bucking forward again. The coil around his cock pushed back against him and tightened.

“ _Ahh._ ” Yugi clenched his thighs around Atem’s tail and thrusted harder.

Strong hands held into his hips and pulled him impossibly closer. Then Atem’s tentacle began to move faster, winding further around him enough for the wet tip to cover his slit.

“Aahh… mm,” The pressure encompassing him was so sweet it threatened to make Yugi go crazy. His brow furrowed, keeping up with Atem’s pace taking so much of his concentration that his thoughts were beginning to jumble. It was so, so good, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. He quaked with the effort of keeping himself together. He didn’t want it to end this quickly.

“Are you okay?”

The words, accompanied by a hand on his cheek, broke through his feverish spell. Atem was looking at him with concern, though he didn’t halt his pace.

“I-it’s so intense, Atem.” He replied in a heavy pant. “I- I don’t know if I can…”

Atem slowed his movement and pulled gently on Yugi’s shoulders. He urged Yugi down, until his elbows were in the sand and their noses were almost touching. Yugi whimpered as their cocks pressed against his stomach.

“Rest your head on me,” cooed Atem, “and just let yourself feel.”

Yugi did as he was told and buried his head into the crook of Atem’s neck. He relaxed into the muscle beneath him, unable to resist planting open-mouthed kisses onto his collar. Atem let out a delicate hum.

When Atem changed the pitch of it, Yugi realized that he was actually holding a note: a long, beautiful note that was soon joined by a string of others that echoed off the cave walls.

Atem was singing to him.

Yugi gasped softly at the sweet sound. It was a language he didn’t understand, made up of long, high vowels and sharp consonants. It calmed him instantly, and he realised just how tense he’d been. Relief took hold of his mind and he fell limp, rubbing his forehead onto Atem’s shoulder as if to absorb himself into Atem’s skin.

Cool arms wrapped around his middle, pulling him into a hug. As Atem sang, the hot air from his lips brushed by the skin of Yugi’s neck. The tentacle continued to travel all over his cock, drawing breathy gasps from him in regular intervals, but it was nothing as harsh as their previous pace. They moved together in time with Atem’s song, gently slow, but Yugi found he was enjoying himself more than before. Fast was intense, yes, but it also left him less able to appreciate the small details. Like the texture of Atem’s skin, or the water lapping at their bodies as they moved, or how safe and warm he felt right at this moment, wrapped up snugly by such a gorgeous creature.

He was utterly silent as Atem's song filled his ears completely. He lost himself to the feeling, forgetting that anything existed besides him and Atem. An emotion he couldn’t place bubbled up inside his heart, threatening to overflow. _But that’s okay_ , Atem’s song told him. _Let it come. Show me how you feel_. Yugi moaned desperately and tightened his hold on Atem. He squeezed with his thighs and curled his toes, pressing Atem further into the sand. He attached his mouth to Atem’s neck and sucked, feeling the vibration of Atem’s voice running through him. In the middle of a long note, Atem let out a surprised gasp before regaining control of his voice.

Slowly but surely they built up their rhythm again, anticipation spreading goosebumps all over their bodies. Yugi had long since stopped thinking, and allowed his body to take over for him. Atem’s beautiful voice started to falter, interrupted by little hitches and moans as Yugi brought him closer to the edge. He was clearly struggling to keep up the song, missing notes and skipping words in favour of gasping. They were both nearing climax, and Yugi decided he’d rather hear that voice be put to use in other ways. He planted kisses up Atem’s neck, then nibbled softly at the skin below his ear. He surrounded their genitals with his hand and pumped, causing Atem’s voice to crack mid-note.

  
“Ah gods, _Yugi_ ,” Atem moaned, finally abandoning his tune. His neck strained, and Yugi tilted his head sideways to reach his mouth.

Their pace was no longer neat. They bucked into each other incessantly, Atem’s tentacle was rubbing anywhere and everywhere it could reach. Yugi’s thrusted both with his cock and his hand, becoming desperate as he felt the arousal inside him tightening, burning, wanting to be set free. They kissed wildly, teeth clicking and saliva covering their lips, moaning into each other.

Atem’s tentacle brushed heavily over the head of Yugi’s cock, and it nearly sent Yugi insane. “Oh _g-god_ , do that again.”

Atem laughed breathlessly, and obliged him. The tip fanned over it softly at first, but then harder, digging into the sensitive skin of his slit.

It was too much. “God, yes, _Atem!_ ” He pressed down onto Atem, desperately looking to smother himself in his warmth. He could feel the tentacle shaking around him, constricting and loosening, drawing more and more out of him. He squeezed the writhing tentacle under his hand into his flesh.

“ _A-a-ahh!_ ” Atem’s blown pupils rolled back and dug his fingers into Yugi’s back hard enough for his claws to scratch his skin.

It only served to heighten Yugi’s euphoria. He redoubled his ministrations and captured Atem’s mouth one more time, bringing his free hand to grab a handful of sandy hair. He stroked them both, seeing nothing through the haze of lust and heat, until Atem was a mess beneath him. Atem broke away from his kiss in a final sob of  pleasure before he pulled Yugi down onto his chest, crying out his orgasm.

Yugi tipped over the edge with him, biting back a yell as he thrusted through his high, covering Atem’s tentacle and his fingers with white, pearly strings of come. He rode this moment for as long as he could milk it, savouring the lingering pulses of pleasure shooting through him as they came and went.

Yugi lay against Atem with satisfaction buzzing in the front of his mind. Yugi came to his senses, blearily blinking until they were clear. He was met with Atem’s hooded stare and hot breath on his face. Yugi had been too wrapped up in his climax to notice, but they had finished with their foreheads pressed together.

The spent siren laughed softly. “What?”

“Mm? What?”

“What’s that look for?”

Only then did Yugi realise the huge, dumb smile that was stretching across his lips. He kissed him in place of an answer, soft and slow, and felt the lips below his curl into a smile of their own.

Yugi felt the tentacle shrink back, and he winced slightly at the loss of warmth. Though the tire in his body was mostly pleasant, his joints were protesting for holding onto Atem so tightly. He sat up stiffly, feeling his muscles sting, and he allowed himself to collapse on the sand beside Atem. Sand instantly attached itself to every part of him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

As he listened to the sound of Atem’s breathing, he wondered if he should say something. There many things he wanted to say: _That was amazing_ was one, but it seemed a little obvious. There was another, too, bubbling up from his stomach. _I think I’m in love with you_ , it said, but it was a bit early in their relationship for that. That could wait, maybe forever, but at least until after the post-coital endorphins were done having their way with his mind. He stifled a huff of laughter at _that_ mental image.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said instead.

Atem blinked at him in surprise. Then he broke into an adorable smile and placed a cool hand on Yugi’s cheek before letting it trail down to his collar. Atem’s long tail flicked in the water, turning him onto his side, and he rested his head on Yugi’s shoulder.

“No,” he replied, “you are much more beautiful.”

Yugi chortled at the pettiness of the rebuttal, but he didn’t argue. He brought a hand to Atem's waist, thumbing over where scales became skin. A scattering of damp sand was left where they touched each other, but neither of them minded.

“I suppose that you'll need to return to the land before the sun sets,” Atem sighed, the hot air tickling Yugi's skin. “But stay a while, won't you?”

“Yeah, of course.” Yugi replied softly, continuing to stroke the siren. He didn't think he could bring himself to move from this spot for quite a while, even if he wanted to - which he didn't.

Atem shifted in his arms then, and peered up at him. “You trust me.”

Yugi returned his look with a relaxed smile, though he raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn't I?”

“I'm happy that you do, but I'm surprised you trusted me enough for… this.”

“Well…” Yugi paused thoughtfully, resisting a blush. “I don’t really know what to say to that. I don’t have a real reason, I guess. I just trust you.”

Atem tilted his head, frowning. It seemed Yugi would need a better answer than that.

“You caught me a fish,” he explained, “You wouldn't do that to someone you were just gonna eat. And you saved me from that other one,” he added before gasping in sudden realization. “Wait, is he dead? Did I...”

“No, he’ll survive.” said Atem with a laugh. “That was one nasty wallop you gave him though.”

Yugi sighed in relief. Now that the incident was fresh in his mind, he was tempted to ask Atem more about the siren that had attacked them, but he decided he would rather keep the comfortable silence between them.

Soon he'd need to put his clothes back on and take the boat home. But it didn't need to be _that_ soon, he reasoned as he idly stroked Atem's cheek. The fish he’d caught would keep for a while longer in the cooler, and besides, his clothes were still damp. The sun was still a few hours away from sunset. When the sun was about to touch the horizon, he'd start his way back to the dock.

That's what Yugi told himself as he fell into a doze.

\---

Grandpa really let him have it.

The sun had been in the middle of setting when Atem shook him awake. He'd scrambled to throw on his clothes, not even bothering to dust himself of sand. They’d hastily decided a time and place to meet again then parted ways after a goodbye kiss (two of them, and a third for good measure). When he arrived at the dock, he saw that he’d missed a collective five phone calls from both his Grandpa and Mako. He was not looking forward to either of those conversations. He'd finally made it back to the game shop well after sundown, only just managing to hide the fish in the fridge before being cornered by his elderly guardian and subjected to a lecture.

By the time of Grandpa’s birthday, though, he'd been forgiven, and his Grandpa had placed a loving kiss on the temple for the feast he’d made. Yugi was much better at preparing fish than catching them, and paired with some garlic, herbs, lemon, and white wine, the amberjack had been something truly special. And although Yugi enjoyed the dinner and the numerous board games afterward, his mind was elsewhere.

Two days later and a small ways around the coast of Domino Bay, Yugi cast his line. He had nothing in particular to catch; this was just to pass the time until his companion arrived, so when his line dipped almost immediately, he was surprised. He reeled in his hook, however, to find no fish at all and his bait missing. He tutted with irritation, and turned to open his tacklebox.

He straightened when he heard the telltale splash of Atem’s arrival. The boat dipped as Atem leaned his arms over the edge, grinning happily at Yugi in greeting. He was picking at something in his teeth, something translucent and white that looked suspiciously like the squid Yugi had been using as bait.   

“Well, well, well.” said Yugi. “What a big fish I've caught.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have more ideas for this AU cuz I honestly fell in love with it, but for now I'm going to count this as a completed oneshot. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!  
> EDIT: Thanks so much for the absolutely overwhelming praise!! I never expected this fic to be received so well. I am working on a second chapter, so please look forward to it! It won't be out anytime soon because my final semester at uni is about to begin, but it IS in the works. It will explore more about the world in which Atem lives, but it won't be from Yugi's point of view.


End file.
